Nothing But The Best
by notalone91
Summary: Part of the "Someone Like You" arc.  Mercedes has a big secret.  What does this mean for her relationship with Sam?


A/N: Still not affiliated with Glee, Fox, Ryan Murphy or anyone of the like. However, Samcedes shippers, I don't know if you're aware, but as I got to be about half way through this, an article was brought to my attention:  
>"www[dot]tvline[dot]cominterstitial/?ref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww[dot]tvline[dot]com%2F2011%2F10%2Fglee-chord-overstreet-to-return%2F%23more-261602" OUR CREYS FOR HELP HAVE BEEN ANSWERED. Shmubba best keep lookin' over his shoulder. That said, I'm really sorry for what's about to happen.

**Monday, December 26, 2011; 12:37 P.M. **

**Jones Residence**

It had been three months, four days, 9 hours and 47 minutes since Sam had left Lima and in T minus 6 hours, he would be returning and back in the arms of one Mercedes Jones, not that she was counting. The girl smiled and let out a triumphant sigh as she snapped her phone shut after receiving the text saying that he was getting on I-80. She swung her legs off the bed and scampered down to the kitchen. "He's on his way. That means he should be here by 6:30, provided there's no traffic or anything." She smiled broadly and bobbed up and down a bit, reminding her mother of a puppy expecting a biscuit before finally leaning over onto the doorway to the kitchen.

"That's great, Hun," she replied as she set the mixer out on the counter.

Realizing that her little sister wasn't attached to her mother's hip, she asked "Where's Maya?"

Not missing a beat, "With your auntie. I figured it'd be a decent idea to not have her stealing all of Sam's time from you when he gets here," she stopped fidgeting with the plug for the mixer, wiped her brow and added, "And I wanted to spend some time with you before he gets here because I know I won't be seeing much of you for the next week."

She smiled at the woman, who was trying desperately to make it seem like she didn't get jealous of the people her daughter was now spending nearly all of her time with. It was a valiant effort, but all in vain. She could see right through her mother's charades and always could. Mercedes plopped into one of the metal chairs at the island and folded her arms on the cool slate countertop. "So, what're we making?"

Her mother knew that this was a surefire way to calm Mercedes down, and they still had quite a bit of left over ingredients from the baking for Christmas. "Well, I figured we'd make a big batch of Trash Cookies to kill all of the rest of the ingredients." She smiled, knowingly.

"Awesome," she near cheered.

Trash Cookies were a recipe that Mercedes and her mother made up when she was five or six. They had over-bought their baking supplies for the season and didn't want to waste the remainder. They made a batch of Oatmeal Cookie Dough, a batch of Peanut Butter Cookie Dough and a batch of dough for Chocolate Chip and dumped everything else they had into the bowl. The recipe was altered a bit every year, but usually they had Andes chips, Peanut butter chips, mini M&Ms, Raisins and dark chocolate chunks. To most people, they really sounded unappetizing, but once they tried them, they were hooked. They had the perfect balance of soft and crunch, sweet but not too sweet and generally huge. Usually, they only managed to get six of them to a tray.

Time wore on. Mercedes and her mother were chatting happily and harmonizing over the old Christmas special with Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby and soon there was a huge pile of cookies on the wire rack. The kitchen was full of heat from the oven, the sweet smell of cookies and the sound of yuletide joy. After all of the dishes were done, Mercedes decided to run upstairs and get ready for Sam to get here. This was the Christmas present she had been most excited for.

**Monday, December 26, 2011; 4:19 P.M.**

**I-80, Just East of Ohio**

Sam stared out the windshield of his beaten down old pick-up truck. He was almost there. He was almost back to Lima. There was so much he needed to say. So much he needed to do. And still, he was scared to death.

Trying to ease his mind, he plugged his iPod back in and pressed play. Moments later, he realized that he had let Stacey use it when she went Christmas shopping with his parents, so needless to say, she had dumped all of his music off and in its place left Christmas music. He groaned a bit as he skipped through the stuff that was exceedingly bubblegum and had to wonder if she even knew who Mariah Carey was, when he finally hit a song that wasn't too bad.

**Winter snow is falling down****  
>Children laughing all around<strong>**  
>Lights are turning on<strong>**  
>like a fairy tale come true.<strong>

**Sitting by the fire we made****  
>you're the answer when I prayed<strong>**  
>I would find someone<strong>**  
>and baby I found you.<strong>

Sam smiled a bittersweet smile as he thought about Mercedes. She was always on his mind, but this was definitely putting the girl's brilliant brown eyes in the forefront of his memory. He thought about how delighted she was when he Skyped her to say that they were on for the week; that he would be all hers until New Year's Day. It was surreal to be heading back, only to turn back around a couple of days later. As much as he really loved Mercedes, it was going to be so much harder to keep coming back and then leaving again.

**All I want is to hold you forever****  
>all I need is you more every day<strong>**  
>you saved my heart<strong>**  
>from being broken apart<strong>**  
>you gave your love away<strong>**  
>and I'm thankful every day<strong>**  
>for the gift.<strong>

**Watching as you softly sleep****  
>what I'd give if I could keep<strong>**  
>just this moment<strong>**  
>if only time stood still.<strong>

…If only time stood still. "This is ridiculous, Sam," he said to the empty truck. "This is a Christmas song. This is not you. For as much of a romantic as you are, you're not sentimental. You don't have that luxury. Sentiment complicates things." He slammed the heel of his hand on the steering wheel and glanced out the window, only to see the reactions of the family in the car next to him. He had to stop at the next rest area. He needed fresh air. The cab was getting to be increasingly claustrophobic.

**But the colors fade away****  
>and the years will make us grey<strong>**  
>but baby in my eyes<strong>**  
>you'll still be beautiful.<strong>

His mind wandered back to that crisp, fall evening in the park; his hands ran over the girl's beautiful curves. He sped a bit, trying to close the gap between himself and Lima. As much as he was scared of how his emotions would react to the next couple of days, there was no denying that he just really needed to have his girlfriend in his arms again.

**All I want is to hold you forever****  
>all I need is you more every day<strong>**  
>you saved my heart<strong>**  
>from being broken apart<strong>**  
>you gave your love away<strong>**  
>And I'm thankful every day<strong>**  
>for the gift<strong>

**All I want is to hold you forever****  
>All I need is you more every day<strong>**  
>You saved my heart<strong>**  
>from being broken apart<strong>**  
>You gave your love away<strong>**  
>can't find the words to say<strong>**  
>That I'm thankful every day<strong>**  
>for the gift.<strong>

A lonesome tear fell from his eye as the song drew to a close. "Stupid sentimental shit," he cursed as he ripped the adapter from the cigarette lighter. He spun the radio dial, not feeling particularly picky as to what he was listening to, as long as it wasn't more of this. He continued on with the vague pop music in the background as he thought about what the first thing he wanted to do when he got back to Lima was.

**Monday, December 26, 2011; 6:41 P.M.**

**Jones Residence**

Mercedes was just finishing up her makeup when she heard the familiar rumble of Sam's truck up the street. It was as though someone had just lit a fire under her. She took off for the front door and was on the front lawn just as he was pulling into the driveway. He was spot on with his timing.

Hardly slipping the truck into park before shutting it off and hopping out, Sam sprinted towards the familiar frame in standing in the dim light. The sight of her erased any of his doubts about this trip. He swept her into his arms and spun her around effortlessly. She let out a shriek before planting a strong kiss on his lips.

After a moment, or an hour for all either of them knew, he put her down. Smiling, she looked up at him and made to speak, but when no words came, she just giggled. Finally, he put his arm around her and the pair walked into the house for dinner with her parents. "Any Glee club plans this week?"

She hadn't really thought about it. Sure, they were probably going to all get together and watch the ball drop at someone's house, but that was later this week. There was still a lot of time between now and then. "I don't know, actually."

Sam kissed the top of her head and breathed in the scent of her shampoo, memories flushing back to him. "Doesn't matter. I'm just happy to be back."

**Tuesday, December 27, 2011; 10:23 A.M.**

**Jones Residence**

Mercedes and Sam had stayed up late talking and laughing and getting reacquainted with each other. Sam awoke first. They had set up an air mattress in her room, but they had fallen asleep in each other's arms on her bed. He didn't know how to get up without waking Mercedes, so he decided for waking her gently. He leaned forward and kissed her on the neck then whispered, "Good morning, nga zong oe lor."

The girl stirred gently and then, blinking, looked up at Sam. After realizing that she wasn't dreaming, she smiled brightly. "Good morning." She shifted around, freeing his legs. The blond leaned over and kissed her, hesitating a moment before getting up. The sun that shone in through the window glistened on the boy's bare shoulders as he bent down to grab his toothbrush out of his knapsack. Mercedes could hardly believe that he was back in her arms. He skittered out of the room and Mercedes flopped back, shrieking excitedly to herself. She reached for her phone and saw a missed text from Shane. "Shit," she hissed. What did he want? She had given in to a moment of weakness and regretted every second of it and, even though she had told him to take a hike by Halloween, he was persistent. She felt bad leading him on, but she felt even worse for what she did to Sam.

She picked up her phone and flipped it open. "I hear your boy's back in town…"

Knocking her head back against the wall, she played out every version of this conversation before she shot off a reply. "Yeah, what of it?"

As she drummed her fingers on her thighs as she waited for the phone to ring, Sam came back in the room. He had brushed his hair and teeth and was looking more handsome than she remembered. This caused an even bigger pang of guilt to grow in her stomach, which near erupted when her phone buzzed again.

"Who is that?" he asked curiously.

"Oh…" she stammered, "Just Kurt. He was making sure you made it in safe."

Sam smirked a bit. "That's cool. Tell him I said 'hi.'"

She smiled nervously and nodded as she opened her phone, reading the text message. "How do you think he'd fare knowing about us?"

Mercedes eyes widened. She had hoped and prayed that this was not the way this was going to go. She responded, "You wouldn't."

"Something wrong?" Sam asked, crossing to the bed and taking her into his arms.

She shook her head, trying to dismiss it. "No. Nothing at all. Just some drama with that new Warbler." She really needed to stop lying. It would only make things worse if he found out.

Sam smiled and slid in a little closer, pressing his cheek to hers. "Trouble in paradise?"

"Nah, nah…" she answered with a chuckle. She dismissed the buzzing in her pocket. She knew that Sam wanted to have lunch with the boys today, so she would call him after he left. There was no way she could handle this right now. "What time are you meeting Finn and all them?"

A wisp of blond hair fell out of alignment as Sam adjusted his direction so he could look at Mercedes straight on. "Well," he paused, thinking about it, "Chances are good that Finn will be rolling out of bed around noon, and it'll take him about a half hour to get ready. With some leeway, it's probably gonna wind up being closer to 1 or 1:15. Why?"

"Just…" her brain whirred along with her phone. "I was curious. I didn't wrap your gift yet and I clearly can't do it with you here."

The boy lit up. "Present? It's okay, I understand."

He was really going to love the gift, as long as Shane didn't completely ruin things in the meantime.

"I should probably go grab a shower," Sam added reluctantly.

"Yeah," she said. "Shame my parents are home," she said suggestively.

Sam closed his eyes, imagining them in that situation, warm, soaked and close together in her shower, skin glistening. He snapped himself to and added, "Yeah, definitely a shame," as he trailed his hand down her thigh.

Shivering at his touch, she gave him a light shove in the direction of his bags. "Get in the shower, you dirty boy."

As he snatched the shower gel and towel out of his bag, he shot a wink over his shoulder and headed off into the bathroom.

When she was sure the door was closed, she grabbed her phone one more time and read the missed texts. "Wouldn't I," "You're not answering me… He's gonna pay…" and finally, one coming through right now, "Fine. Let's see how strong the two of you really are."

With a gulp, she responded. "I'll call you around 20 after 1. This needs to stop."

**Tuesday, December 27, 2011; 1:05 P.M.**

**Jones Residence**

Mercedes shifted nervously as she stood at the doorway with Sam. She kissed him tenderly and said "So, I'll see you in a while?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I don't know how long we're gonna be, but I'll text you when I'm on my way back."

She nodded. "Alright," she thought for a moment and added. "Why don't you ask the guys back here? I was probably gonna have the girls over for a little bit, anyway."

He cupped her face and smiled down at her. "You know," he stated, "I can really see us with a home of our own. This is so nice."

Shocked, she looked up at him. "R-really?" she stammered. "I think so, too" she added, praying that the fear in her heart about what was going to happen as soon as he left didn't get misconstrued.

"We're definitely going to have to talk about that more later," he said with a mischievous smile as started off down the front steps and off to his truck.

Mercedes could only stare and try to process what had just happened until a voice came from behind, "Was that a proposal? I think he just proposed." Her mother was standing almost directly behind her, little sister in tow.

"Mama," Mercedes said with a shock. "I don't think that's what he meant, and now little muffin head here," she added, tugging on the pigtail of her little sister, "is gonna start calling me Tiana again." She pinched the girl's cheeks and muttered "Aren't you, muffin?"

"But you're prettier, 'Cedes," Maya said to her big sister, who was her real life princess, "and you sing better too!"

She smiled at her little sister. "Is that right?"

"Yep!"

Mercedes cooed at the little girl and kissed the top of her head, then scurried off to the basement to send out her S.O.S. to Kurt and call Shane.

With lightning speed, she descended the stairs and walked off into the corner, by the window. She had always loved it down here. Everyone else thought it was weird, but it seemed so cozy and friendly. It was almost as though she had a living room of her own because no one else ever used it. It worked out well for having friends over.

She grabbed a bottle of water out of the mini fridge and perched herself atop it, wriggling her phone from her pocket. Bringing up Kurt's contact, she typed out "Mayday. Call the girls. My house. 30 minutes." With that, she took a deep breath and rolled the list down a bit further to Shane and dialed.

The coarse ringer went off a few times before finally, she heard that voice. "You said 20 after."

"I know I did, I'm sorry. My mama was on my case and I…" she started, words flying faster than she could process what she was saying.

"Doesn't matter," he said. "I don't get it, Cedes. What does this little kid have that you can't get from me?"

Truth be told, she was scared to death of Shane. She was scared of what he might do. It's not that he wasn't sweet to her when they were sort of together, but as soon as it stopped, he'd become this monster that she had to do everything to avoid. She had even gone so far as to have Santana reinstate the Bullywhips so that she could have an escort to the classes she knew he was in. Even though she didn't necessarily feel safe around Karofsky either, she knew he was making an effort for change, and she would give him a shot; especially if it meant keeping Shane at bay. "I… I don't know, Shane. He's my boyfriend. He has been all along and… I don't know…" She really didn't. She had no idea what to say to him. She didn't love him. She loved Sam. She had always loved Sam. Shane was there when she needed him. She was scared and upset and lonely and, sure, that should have meant something but it didn't and it wouldn't. "I love him."

There was a moment of silence followed by the line clicking off. He had hung up. "Great, Mercedes, wrong thing again," she said to herself, scared to death to call him back, and breathing a sigh of relief when she heard Kurt's ringer. "Hello," she answered, voice shaking.

"I have Rachel, Blaine and Tina, considering we were at the mall together anyway. Brit and Santana are going to swing by and pick up Quinn then they're on their way. What happened?" She could hear that Kurt was panicking, and while she was grateful, she really didn't want him to worry too much. There wasn't really anything he could do.

She steadied herself and replied "Shane, but I'll tell you when you get here. I don't want you driving off the road or anything."

After she hung up with Kurt, she received one final text from Shane. "Boy better watch his back."

Within minutes, they were all settled into her basement. Kurt shot her a look that nearly stopped her heart. It was both threatening and comforting and that really unnerved her. She began, "So, you all know that Sam's back, right?" There was a myriad of variations on 'yes,' so she continued. "Well, he and I never actually broke up. And I had never intended to."

Quinn's eyes broadened, "Mercedes, no."

The girl nodded, closing her brown eyes before she spoke again. "The whole Shane thing… that was out of fear. I was afraid that Sam was going to call me up one night and say that he found some beautiful girl closer to him and that we were over, and I didn't want to give him the chance." She began to cry as Rachel slid off the couch and wrapped her arms around her. "I wanted to be wanted. I was lonely. I took him moving personally, even though I knew it wasn't and I made a stupid mistake and it's going to break his heart."

Kurt, Blaine and Tina looked awe struck. This was a side of Mercedes they'd never expected. They thought she was like them; sincere, honest, dedicated to the one she loved. Santana and Brittany listened intently, but none of this was new to them. It wasn't new to Rachel or Quinn, either. The pair exchanged desperate looks at each other, knowing they'd both made the same mistakes. Finally, Quinn spoke. "Why does he have to know?"

"I'm hoping he doesn't, but Shane… he…" she couldn't bring herself to say it. She drew up the texts on her phone and handed it to Quinn.

The blonde's jaw dropped. "Mercedes," she said, handing the phone off to Kurt, "You have to tell someone. If not one of us then Puck or Finn or someone who can protect you and Sam for the time he's here. When we get back to school, Santana can have Karofsky with you from class to class.

Santana shook her head. "Dave's not gonna be much help," she said.

Kurt eyed Santana. "He didn't…"

The Latina nodded. "He did. By the time we get back, everyone will know and there won't be a damn thing that Dave will be able to do."

"That's not true, Santana," Quinn answered without a bit of hesitation. "Even if he's not a Bullywhip or a football player or anything of the like, he's a tough guy and if Shane makes a move, he can be there for her, just like I hope he knows we'll all be there for him." Dave's sexuality wasn't a secret to the members of the Glee Club, but it certainly wasn't going to go over well for the rest of McKinley.

The group chattered on for quite a while about possible protections for Sam and Mercedes, what they could do about Shane and just life in general. Some of the responses were quite laughable, especially Blaine's suggestion that they tie him up in Coach Sylvester's office with a note saying that he was donating himself to her to do with as she sees fit. Of course, he and Tina were the only ones who didn't get the full extent of what he said and the many things that she could find use of a teenage boy for, which caused Santana, Quinn and Kurt to spout off various impressions of what a number of those uses might be.

However, Kurt was still stuck at the beginning of the conversation. When the moment seemed right, he asked quietly, "Why did you do it, Mercedes? That's so not like you."

"What's that supposed to mean," Rachel deflected. "Not everyone finds a guy like Blaine the first try, Kurt. And even if they do find a great guy, sometimes they don't realize what they have until the mistake's been made." She offered a smile at Mercedes, an attempted comfort, but the girl was crying so hard at this point there was no stopping her. The buzz of her phone only made it worse. It would only be Sam or Shane and either way there was no answering it.

Santana picked the phone up and answered it. After hearing the voice on the other end, she stood up and walked away, "Hey there, Trouty Mouth. What's that?" She waited for a response before offering a hand to pull Mercedes up. "You guys are on your way over here? Alright, I'll tell Mercedes just as soon as she gets out of the bathroom," she said, pushing the girl into the aforementioned room and gesturing for her to fix her eyes. "Alrighty. Buh-bye." She snapped the phone closed and said to all concerned parties, "Boys'll be here in ten." She slid down on the floor behind Brittany and pulled the Disney Clue from the bin at the end of the couch, splaying it out on the floor, quickly dealing out the cards with the dexterity of a Vegas veteran. "They'll never know that we haven't been playing all along.

**Tuesday, December 27, 2011; 9:08 P.M.**

**Jones Residence**

The group had already begun to disperse and Mercedes, Sam, Finn, Rachel, Kurt and Blaine were sitting in the basement together talking about their Christmas presents, preparations for the next competition and various other things when, finally, Blaine pulled out his pocket watch. "Oh, it's after 9, Kurt."

Kurt looked questioningly at Blaine and then realized that Blaine's parents wanted him home by nine. His mouth fell open. "Right, shit. Alright," he needed to get Mercedes alone first, but how?

Finn added, "Yeah, we should probably get going too."

Hoisting herself up off the floor, Mercedes said, "Alright, I'll go get your coats."

This was his chance. "I'll come with you," Kurt said, hurriedly, realizing that no one else would have offered anyway. She raised an eyebrow, pretending she didn't know what he was getting at, shrugged and started the trek upstairs to her bedroom, where they had all put their coats. When the pair reached her bedroom and shut the door, he asked the dreaded question. "What are you going to tell Sam?"

She nearly slammed her back against the door. "I don't know, Kurt. I really don't," she covered her face in her hands. "I don't even know if I'm going to tell him. I didn't really do anything more than hang out with Shane. Yeah, we were 'dating,' but by physical standards, I may as well be dating you. It's so much more than that with Sam. So much more." Kurt folded his arms and shot a questioning look. "I kissed Shane maybe three times. If that."

"And you've done that much more with Sam?"

Mercedes averted her eyes. "Yeah," she admitted with a tone of guilt, "right before he left." Her mind flew back to that night; the chill of the air, the feeling of their skin hot on each other, sweat, her pulse racing, his cautious movements and constantly making sure that she was okay, his beautiful blue eyes, the way he held her afterward. She wouldn't exchange it for the world.

"Then why would you even…" Kurt trailed off. It didn't make any sense. If she really loved Sam, how could she do this to him? She had seen his demeanor when Quinn had cheated on him. She had seen Finn through all of the Quinn/Rachel drama. She knew how it affected people. Still, he knew she needed him to understand. He sighed and resumed his query, "why did you do it in the first place? I know you said earlier, but this is me you're talking to. Tell me everything."

The girl closed her eyes and curled into herself, assuming a seemingly diminished stature. "Well, I was lonely. Sam was telling me about all of the people he was meeting and this girl he was hitting it off with and was showing him around. I thought he was going to end it. It wasn't like I had any reason to, but I was so scared. I wanted to have the upper hand. I didn't want to let him have that power over me." She felt a familiar sting in her eyes. She didn't know what to do anymore.

He crossed to her and grabbed her forearms and adjusted the level of his head so that he was at eye level. "That's part of being in love, Cedes; letting them have that power over you but trusting them not to do anything to abuse it." Then, he let her fall into his arms, engulfing her in his embrace. "Now, I have to go or else little Blainers is going to turn back into a pumpkin."

Mercedes smiled at his joke. The pair was constantly picking on Blaine for his age, and sometimes it was actually quite funny. "Alright. Thank you," she sighed into his shoulder.

"For what?" he asked, earnestly.

"For not jumping to conclusions and hating me," she replied with a wince.

Kurt just smiled and kissed him on the cheek and, as he was reaching for the door turned back around just shook his head. "Us. Dating," he laughed.

As he walked out of the door, she smacked him with the arm of his jacket, both reminding him why they had gone up there in the first place and punishing him for laughing at her. They walked back downstairs, jackets in hand and distributed them to their owners. "Alright, guys," she said, "Here's your coats. Drive safe, now."

The group said their goodbyes as Sam and Mercedes walked them all out to Kurt's car. After a few more minutes, and several pained whimpers from Blaine about his parents skinning him alive which led to a handful of jokes about him being young, they got into the car and drove away. Sam took Mercedes by the hand as they began to walk back into the house. "See what I meant earlier?"

Mercedes shivered as she looked up at him, whether it was nerves or the cold, she didn't want to know. "You said a lot earlier," she said innocently, knowing precisely what he was alluding to.

"About how well we play husband and wife," he explained. "Look, Mercedes, I know that I'm nothing special, but I really love you and I love spending time with you and it's killing me to have to be this far away all the time."

"I love you too, Sam," she said, falling silent as they walked through the living room. She did not need her parents hearing any of this. They headed up to her bedroom. "I love you more than anything else. I honestly can't think of anything I'd want more than that." She pressed their clasped hands to her chest.

With that same shady smile, Sam moved on with the conversation. "Good, because…"

Mercedes cut him off at the pass. She may not have been ready to tell him about Shane, but she certainly wasn't ready for this talk either. She had to think of a way out. "Uh, Sam," she said. "Can you hold that thought?" She was going to kick herself for this. "I'm grossing myself out over here. I just need to hop in the shower. I'll be a couple minutes, and then I'll be right back." Without waiting for a response, she scurried into the bathroom and turned the faucet on immediately so he wouldn't hear her sobs. If she didn't tell him, it would kill her. If she told him, it would kill him. She shed her clothing, leaving it sit on the floor and climbed in, letting the hot water surround her, washing away her fears and doubts, if only for a few minutes.

When she finally emerged from the shower, she found Sam slumbering peacefully on her bed, still in his clothes in what looked like the most uncomfortable position ever. She moved his legs up so that they were at least on the bed and slid him down , ever so slightly, so that his head was resting on a pillow. Finally, she covered him with a blanket before she went on looking for pajamas. Maybe Sam was on to something, she thought. This really was nice. "If only you hadn't ruined it, Cedes," she thought. The girl shook her head through the neck of her ratty old tee shirt. She pulled on a pair of comfortably worn in Tinkerbell pajama bottoms, cursing the silence.

She slid on a pair of slippers and walked out of her bedroom and into the study. Sitting down at the piano, she slid her fingers gracefully over the keys, playing a hauntingly beautiful melody. She closed her eyes and floated away to a world where the only things that existed were her and the music.

**Wednesday, December 28, 2011; 2:00 P.M**

**Jones Residence**

Sam left for Puck's all-day Madden tournament before Mercedes had woke up. She didn't go to sleep until nearly 3 a.m., incapable of letting herself lay in bed next to him with her mind racing like it was. When she did get up, close to 11, she found on her pillow a note from Sam that read, "Nga Zong Oe Lor, didn't want to wake you. Make sure you get some sleep. I know you didn't come to bed until really late. I don't know why, but whatever's troubling you, know that I love you and you can tell me. I'll be back from Puck's late, but you and I are going out after. Your parents know. Don't worry about a thing. Love, Sam." She smiled as she read. She folded the paper up and attempted to put it in a pocket but instead put it in her bra when she realized that these pants didn't have them. She slid out of bed and made her way over to the dresser, taking her phone off the charger and checking what the missed call was. Her heart dropped when she saw the name. She flipped it open and redialed the number.

"Late night, huh?" Shane asked as soon as the ringing ended.

Feeling a spike in her blood pressure, Mercedes nearly snapped. "Yes, and I'll thank you very much to leave me alone about it. It's your fault anyway," she said.

"Oh, my fault is it? That's funny, Mercedes," he spat. "I'm not the one who played the games. Speaking of games, are you aware that I was invited to Puckerman's today?"

The girl took a sharp breath and gritted her teeth. "I figured as much," she lied. In all honesty, she had thought that it would just be the New Directions boys and Sam, but it made sense that he would have invited the football guys, too. It's not as though he had any idea what was going on anyway. "So, are you going?"

"Well," he said, voice dripping with threat, "I had a few errands to run this morning, but I was debating between going and coming over to your place. I thought it might be a good idea to have a..." He paused, leaving Mercedes breathless. "A chat. With the pair of you."

With a sigh of relief, she said instinctively, "That would work if Sam were even here." It wasn't until she heard a chuckle on the other line that she realized what she had done.

"It looks like I am going to Puckerman's after all," he said, ending the call.

For a moment after the line had gone dead, Mercedes kept the phone held to her ear. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't warn anyone. She couldn't do anything to stop him. All she could do now was wait.

**Wednesday, December 28, 2011; 11:46 P.M.**

**Field behind the Lima Bean.**

"Are you sure? No one there you didn't know?" Mercedes asked for the tenth time as she gripped her coat tighter to herself, grasping the thermos to herself for warmth.

Sam looked at her curiously as they walked toward the best sledding hill in Lima, with his old toboggan in tow. "Positive. It was me, Puck, Mike, Finn and Artie. That's it."

It felt like a weight had been lifted off of her chest. She moved closer to him. "It's dark back here. Why are we coming back here again?"

He smiled and wrapped his free arm around her. "Well, this is the best sledding hill around and I've always wanted to play in the snow at night, so who better to do it with than you?"

Everything was still and quiet except for the crunch of the snow underneath their shoes. It really was beautiful. "Where do you come up with all of these ideas?"

"I have a lot of time on my hands," he admitted shyly. "I made more friends in Lima than I'd ever made. I'm not making many friends at this new school either and the few that I have made I don't hang out with."

Mercedes looked at him, shocked. "What about that Chelsea girl? I thought you two were getting along well?" Had she really made up all of that?

"Well, we were," he said, "but her boyfriend didn't really like her spending time with me." The girl looked at him, at least grateful that her thoughts weren't out of line. "It kind of sucks because she was actually a big help. He didn't believe that she was just tutoring me."

Her heart sank. Was that really it? And she had reacted the way she did? Maybe she shouldn't tell him at all. She could see the disappointment in his eyes at the boyfriend's lack of trust that she knew that hers would only hurt worse.

When they finally reached the hill, Mercedes understood what Sam meant. It was an awesome spot. She giggled as he plopped the sled down and gestured for her to get on. She obliged and took off, leaving Sam fallen on his behind at the top of the hill. She let out a shriek of joy. The wind and the speed were setting her free. When she reached the bottom, she sprang up like a gymnast off the bars and turned back around. She spotted the soft silhouette of Sam at the top of the hill, sitting with his arms folded and legs crossed, probably pouting like a little boy trying to catch her attention. She shot a childish smile to balance his out and saw his shape relax and she tread back up the hill.

They took turns for a while, calling to each other up and down the hill.

After a while, they decided that it had been long enough and they were gonna take one last turn together and head back. Sam flopped the toboggan down in the snow in front of them and Mercedes sat down and moved up a bit, allowing for him to sit behind her. The pair sped down the hill. Sam maneuvered the sled to slow down gently but Mercedes still wound up sliding off and getting covered in snow.

She yelped as snow made its way down the collar of her jacket. For some reason, Sam found it adorable and let out a raucous laugh. Mercedes, through her own laughter, called out "You'll pay for that, Sam Evans" and whipped a snowball at him with incredible force.

He feigned offense and ran at her, but she met him halfway, knocking him onto his back, restraining his wrists and straddling him. She released a tired and slightly menacing laugh as she leaned down and kissed him. It felt so nice and she realized that, even though he had been there for days and they had hardly touched. Not that it hadn't been nice, but they hadn't seen each other in months. Shouldn't they have been all over each other? She pressed further into his mouth, mustering up her courage and doing everything she could to get past her own inexperience.

Sam had been waiting for this since he got back. He didn't want to pressure her into anything she didn't want to do, but he had missed her so much. He leaned up, closing the gap between them.

Mercedes stood up, smiled playfully and ran ahead, dragging the sled behind her and grabbing the thermos of cocoa on her way past.

Looking at her questioningly for a moment, he realized that she was getting out of the snow. He chased after her quicker than he had run in a long time.

The two climbed into the truck and nearly crashed into each other. He grabbed her and pulled her close, clumsily trying to undo her coat. She tugged a fistful of hair as she tried desperately to fight off the guilt.

This was getting old. Mercedes pulled herself out from under him, leaving both of them freezing, sweating and panting. She looked down at her feet.

He looked across at her. "What just happened?" It was as though she had just slammed the brakes on from a hundred miles per hour.

"I don't know," she shrugged. Again with the lying. She made a mental note that as soon as all of the cards were on the table, she would stop lying completely. "I'm just tired, I think. I panicked. I'm sorry." She was throwing a list together, omitting the most important thing.

He smiled warmly, pulling her into a hug and kissing her on the top of the head. "It's fine. Let's get you home." He slid back into the driver's seat and added, "You know if you need to say anything to me, you can."

Mercedes nodded, but she felt as though she had been punched in the stomach.

**Thursday, December 29, 2011; 7:13 P.M.**

**Breadstix**

He hadn't wanted to mention it, but Sam had really been itching to get to Breadstix while he was back, so when Finn and Rachel suggested a double date, his face lit up so brightly that Mercedes couldn't bear to say no, not that she'd ever turn down Breadstix anyway.

Finn wrapped his arm around Rachel as he asked "So, you guys do anything fun last night?"

Mercedes smiled and placed a hand on Sam's thigh. "We went sledding at midnight. It was a blast."

"Sledding at midnight," Rachel mused. "That does sound oddly entertaining," she laughed. "Definitely a different sense of danger in the dark."

The blond smiled slightly. He'd forgotten how irritating Rachel could be, especially when she was with Finn. He seemed happy, though. Who was he to tell people who they could be happy with, especially when he didn't really see them anymore. "What about you guys?" As soon as he asked, though, he regretted it. Rachel immediately started prattling about choreography and arrangements, which warranted a groan from both Finn and Mercedes.

"Rachel, do you want me to go back to Shelby?" Mercedes asked.

Sam looked over at her. "What does that mean?"

Mercedes blanched. "Oh. Uh… I had a diva fit and walked out on New Directions for like 2 weeks," she said, trying to make it sound unimportant. She shot a look at Rachel, praying she had told Finn not to bring up Shane.

"Yeah that was…" Rachel glared at Finn, who looked confused but continued anyway, "a really rough couple of weeks..." he trailed off, fearing angering Rachel.

"Why did you throw a diva fit though? What happened?" Sam was growing concerned. Why had no one told him that they were breaking apart?

Mercedes took a deep breath and went off on her little rant. "I got pissed about the way things were being run. I was having a rough time keeping up. Mr. Schue was running these insane booty camps over top of regular rehearsals, auditions for the musical and school. Apparently, we were supposed to find time to eat somewhere in there too. I wasn't doing very much of that and it was getting the better of me. I would try to get something down before dance rehearsals, but Finn can attest that that never went well. I took it out on people who didn't deserve it and was told that if I walked out, I wouldn't be welcome back. Of course, I walked out. I felt like I wasn't getting what I needed from them and Ms. Corcoran was starting up a new Glee Club that had one… tone deaf… member. I decided that even if I was only getting the attention because I was one of two I would be getting the attention. I was tired of being in the background, but didn't want to work at getting to the foreground. But, I wised up and I'm back and everything's fine again so there's nothing to worry about." Mercedes looked apologetically at Rachel and took a sip of her drink while the other girl smiled and gave a nod of understanding.

Sam nodded too, not really understanding what got her to that point, but he totally got what stress did to people, so he didn't question it.

The group chatted happily through their meals and, just as they were getting the check, a familiar bulky frame appeared in the doorway. Rachel's eyes grew wide as he came into focus and she quickly reached across the table for Mercedes' hand. "Come to the bathroom with me," she demanded shifting her eyes to the door and pulling Mercedes out of the booth.

Finn and Sam both shook their heads muttering a variation on "girls…"

"What, Rachel?" Mercedes asked, knowing that this had nothing to do with going to the ladies' room.

She got them into the ladies' room and shut the door. "Shane," she hissed. "He won't say anything in front of Finn because Finn can have him kicked off the team, but he may have taken the chance with you there."

Mercedes gaped. "Rachel, the football season is over. He has nothing to lose!"

"Really? Huh… that's weird. I thought it went to February last year."

"That's because we won last year."

Rachel realized what she had done. "Oh," she was going into crisis aversion mode. "Well, maybe without you there, he won't recognize them. Finn was in the very corner and he wouldn't have seen them and he wouldn't know Sam to look at him."

She didn't want to believe it, but Rachel had a point. He really wouldn't know Sam and it's not an uncommon name. "Okay. I guess you're right."

"I am?" Rachel asked, followed rapidly by "I am, and furthermore, we did get the check, so maybe the boys will just pay it and go outside."

"We could only be so lucky."

A few minutes later, the girls decided that it was safe to go back out. They didn't see Shane, but the boys were still sitting there and didn't seem upset, so they figured the coast was clear. As they reached the table, Rachel asked, "So, are we ready?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Are you guys?" Finn responded, then deflected to Sam.

"I think so, yeah." The boys shook hands, the girls hugged and then they went their separate ways until the New Year's Party on Saturday.

**Friday, December 30, 2011; 6:49 P.M.**

**Jones Residence**

Mrs. Jones was dressed to the nines, ready to head out to her husband's company's holiday party. "You sure you two have this?" Mrs. Jones asked Mercedes as they headed out the door.

"Mama," Mercedes said with a tone of exhaustion, "We've been over this a hundred times. I watch Maya for you all the time. It can only be easier with Sam here."

Putting a hand on her daughter's face, she smiled, "I'm sure a lot of things are easier with Sam here."

Mercedes shrugged, then hearing a crash followed by a peal of laughter, she shook her head. "I should probably get up there and make sure she doesn't break him. I don't think his family would appreciate that very much," she smiled bitter-sweetly.

She saw right through her daughter, "I know, baby. You're scared of what he'll think. But don't worry too much." Her dark eyes searched Mercedes. "That boy loves you, and he'll understand.

"No, he won't Mama, it's…" she paused, and then, when realization that she hadn't mentioned a word of her dilemma with Sam to her, looked directly into her mother's eyes. "How did you…"

Smiling to herself as she turned to head out the door, edged on by the honk of the car horn, "A mother always knows, 'Cedes."

For a moment, she stood staring after her mother. She was always grateful for her, but even more now. She didn't understand how she knew, but she was sort of glad she did.

When she turned around, she saw Sam descending the stairs, Maya perched on his hip with her arms draped around his neck, already in her pajamas. "She said that she wants to watch a movie with Tiana and her prince. Does that mean she wants to watch The Princess and The Frog or am I missing something?"

Mercedes blushed a little bit, walked over to them, grabbed her little sister and whirled her around before putting her on the couch. "What that means is that she wants to watch a movie with us," she smiled. "Isn't that right, booger?"

Maya stood up on the couch and hopped up and down, tugging on the collar of Mercedes' plaid button down shirt. "Yes! And you guys don't even have to be froggys to be in love like the froggys!"

"Well," Sam started, walking over to the sisters, "I think that can be arranged then." He tickled the little girl, causing her to flail in laughter. "What movie do you want, huh?"

"Harry Potter! Harry Potter!" The little girl chanted.

He ceased his tickle attack and clutched his heart. "You're not just saying that, are you?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Nope, we've been reading her one of the books at night, and then when she's finished one, we watch the movie."

His blue eyes glittered. "That is the best idea EVER!"

Maya giggled at his enthusiasm. "We're reading um…" she looked at Mercedes for help.

"Goblet…" she hinted.

"Goblet of Fire," the little girl finished, "and I like the books better."

Sam flew to the girl's side and swept her up in his arms. "I think Mercedes might have some competition, now. I might just love you a bit more." He spun her around and turned to Mercedes with a devastatingly handsome wink.

Feigning a broken heart, Mercedes let out a wail and flopped onto the couch and buried her face in her arms. "I can't go on," she whimpered. "My only baby sister has betrayed me, my boyfriend has left me all over a book."

Suddenly afraid that she hurt her sister, the little girl wriggled free of Sam, shook his hand and said "I'm sorry, Sammy." Pouting, she appeared at her sister's feet. "I'm sorry, 'Cedes. I didn't mean it. I love you and Sammy loves you and you can have him I promise." She spread her arms as wide as she could and flopped onto Mercedes lap.

The older girl's heart melted a little as her sister groveled. She loved the little thing to bits. She pulled her up onto her lap and explained that she was only playing. The little one clung to her sister, now giggling and calling her a meanie-face.

"So, should we get one of the movies in," Sam suggested?

Mercedes smiled and answered, "Yeah, how about Chamber of Secrets?"

"Okay," Maya affirmed.

Sam walked over to the DVD shelf and plucked out the familiar papery, fold up case without even having to read it.

Hours later, the movie was ending and the little girl yawned over dramatically; the two teenagers knew that it was time for her to go to sleep. Sam scooped the little girl up and carried her to her room, followed by Mercedes. He slid the little girl into bed. "Cedes?" the little girl cooed.

"What is it, doll-baby?" she asked.

"Can you sing me a lullaby?" Her eyes, identical to both Mercedes and her mother, grew large and she batted them a few times for emphasis, knowing early on that this was the easiest way to get what she wanted.

Mercedes heaved a sigh. This little girl had her wrapped tightly around her finger. "Sure. What song?"

Maya smiled. "The monkey song."

Puzzled, she had to stop and think what song she meant, then realization dawned. "Oh, okay." Mercedes turned around to shoot an apologetic 'What can you do?' roll of the eyes to Sam, but he was already sitting cross-legged on the floor beside her. She smiled and shook her head. This boy was too much. She brushed her sister's hair out of her eyes and began. "**Come stop your crying. It'll be alright. Just take my hand, hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry.**" Her voice was smooth and sweet, like rich honey. It felt good to just sing for fun. She had almost forgotten how nice it was to not have any pressure about it at all and just sing.

Sam gasped. He wasn't used to hearing Mercedes sing so intimately. She usually had that incredibly bold presence, but now, it felt like he was intruding. This was for her and her sister.

She reached for her sister's hand and smiled gently. "**For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. I will be here don't you cry.**" She watched her sister's eyes grow heavy as she started to nod off.

Suddenly, he missed his own younger siblings desperately. He wondered how they were and realized that he hadn't called home since he got there. He felt bad, but he had really been enjoying himself here. He missed Lima a lot. He missed McKinley, he missed football, he missed glee club, he missed his friends, and, above all else, he missed Mercedes.

Mercedes hesitated a moment, deciding whether or not to continue, but when she saw her sister stir a bit, she knew that she'd wake up if she didn't. "'**Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart. From this day on, now and forever more, you'll be in my heart. No matter what they say, you'll be here in my heart, always.**" Seeing that the little girl was completely asleep, she stood up and gestured for Sam to do the same. Abbreviating the song, she skipped to the fade out. "**I'll be there for you always. Just look over your shoulder. Just look over shoulder. Just look over your shoulder. I'll be there always." **The pair tiptoed out of the room and into the hall, shutting the door with a minute click. Mercedes looked up at Sam who was staring at her. "What?" she whispered. Sam shook his head, unable to come up with the right words and sufficed it with a kiss.

When the two broke apart a moment later, Mercedes grabbed Sam's hands, studying them for a moment as she decided what she was going to do. Slowly but surely, she pulled him down the hall and into her bedroom. He sat on the bed and pulled her in close. "Sam," she said, voice shaking and all but betraying the person to whom it belonged, "I have something to tell you." She took a deep breath and forged on. "I love you, and I would never do anything to hurt you. Your love means more to me than anything."

He placed his arms around her waist. "I know, beautiful. And that's why I had something that I wanted to do for you." He stood up, and crossed to her laptop. "I had it on my iPod, but Stacey deleted everything and replaced it with Christmas music, so I'm going to have to find it on youtube." When he found the song, he clicked the video and the familiar song started. He brought Mercedes in close as he sang. "**When I first saw you, I said 'oh my,' I said 'oh my,' that's a dream. That's my dream.**" The pair moved synchronously. His dancing had certainly improved from what Mercedes could recall. "**I needed a dream when it all seemed to go bad. Then, I found you and I have had the most beautiful dreams any man's ever had.**" He smiled softly and continued on, brushing the hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail out of her eyes. "**When I first saw you, I said 'oh my,' I said 'oh my,' that's a dream. That's my dream.**" He brought his face very close to the girl's ear and half whispered, half sang, "**I needed a dream to make me strong. You are the only reason I had to go on.**" Mercedes kissed him on the cheek, tears welling in both of their eyes. "**You are my dream, all the things that I'll never know. You are my dream. Who could believe they would ever come true?**" The pair stopped dancing and he looked directly into her eyes. "**And who would believe the world would believe in my dreams, too?**"

Mercedes reached up and placed a hand on his neck, joining him in harmony. "**Before you were here, life was only a game and day in and day out were the same. Now the dream's coming true like a star, see it shine, a dream that is yours; that is mine.**" Sam thought for a moment about how lucky he had been to find a girl as beautiful, talented and incredibly perfect as Mercedes. "**You are my dream, all the things I can never be. You won't take my dreams away from me.**"

The girl's voice dropped out. Sam deserved so much better than her. The tears that had been building up began to fall. She didn't know what to do with herself and pulled away, crossing to sit down on the bed. Sam followed her, standing in front of her, "**When I first saw you, I said 'Oh my.' I said 'Oh my.' That's my dream.**" The song ended and Sam planted a kiss, deeply and passionately, on Mercedes. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down on top of her.

Any doubts she may have had about their relationship flew farther and farther away as their bodies began to entwine. She tugged lightly on his tee shirt until it slid up over his head. She ran her hand up his chest, feeling every heartbeat; every breath.

Sam eventually managed to undo the buttons on her top and kissed her chest. He moved into her just as a shiver engulfed her entire body.

**Saturday, December 31, 2011; 11:57 P.M.**

**Hudson-Hummel Residence**

"3 minutes guys," Finn called from the side of the basement where the TV was set up, which happened to be his bedroom.

The flock of people was gathered on the other side, where someone's iPod was blasting some Katy Perry song which Blaine was undoubtedly singing from atop the couch, earning more attention from Kurt than he would have liked to admit. Brittany and Santana were lying on the couch, ringing in the New Year a few minutes early. The rest of the group was dancing and laughing and having a good time. They began piling into Finn's room to watch Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest go on their idiotic banter for the last minute or so of 2011. Mercedes, however, needed to get something off of her chest. This New Year was about new beginnings and happy endings, and for this one to happen that way, she needed to have it happen guilt free and completely honest. She took a deep gulp, grabbed her boyfriend by the hand and spoke. "Sam, I need to tell you something. I've needed to tell you for a while."

"10…"

He smiled, "Me too, Mercedes."

"9…"

Sliding his class ring off of his finger, he said "I know it's not much…"

"8…"

"But for right now,"

"7…"

"It'll have to do."

"6…"

Mercedes jaw dropped. Her heart skipped a beat. "Sam, wait, first…"

"5…"

"You have to know that I love you," she said cautiously.

"4…"

He nodded, allowing her to continue. "There was a point after you left…"

"3…"

Tears streamed down her face, "that I went on a couple of dates…"

"2…"

"With another guy."

"1…"

Sam stormed up the stairs, through the kitchen and out the back door, leaving Mercedes to chase after him.

"Happy New Year!"

When she reached him, he was throwing a basketball aimlessly at the backboard of the basketball hoop that Burt had put up for Finn. "How could you, Mercedes?" He tossed the ball again, not able to look at her. "I trusted you." He chased after the ball.

"I'm so sorry, Sam. You have to believe me," she pleaded. "I was scared, you were gone and talking all about that Chelsea girl and I was so, so not ready to lose you. I didn't want to give you that advantage over me." The ball hit the backboard with a clang and Mercedes cringed. "You're not going to say anything."

He caught the ball this time and nearly pitched it at the net, still missing. "What is there to say, Mercedes?" She hated the way he said her name. And he kept saying it, like he was trying to make her pull off a mask and reveal someone else so that he could go and find the girl he loved. "You didn't trust me enough, so you went and broke my trust. Clearly, there's nothing for me to say."

Sam moved to throw the ball again but she stepped in front of him, grabbing it just as the ball left his hands. "I was scared! I'm sorry!"

The sound of people banging on pots and pans and the whirring of party favors were heard in the distance filling the silence that fell between the pair. After a while, Sam finally spoke, "This always fucking happens," as he kicked at the frozen ground.

Mercedes walked close to him, realizing that he was in tears. She placed her hands on his cheeks, wiping away the wetness. "I promise you, there was no feeling. I promise you. I don't want it to be like this."

He pushed her away, "You're just as bad as Quinn."

Her heart broke and became a lump in her throat. "That's not fair," she cried.

"Yeah, well, neither is this." He shook his head and crossed his arms. "I can't do this anymore Mercedes. I never thought you would do this to me." He walked around the house and was accompanied, moments later, by the rumble of his truck. Knowing that he had already packed his bags into the truck so that he could leave directly from Finn's in the morning, she assumed that he was headed for Pennsylvania, or anywhere that she wasn't.

Defeated, she wiped away her tears and walked back into the house, where stood Kurt, Rachel and Carole, who had presumably heard the fight and went down for them. As soon as she saw their faces, especially Rachel's, who knew exactly what she was going through, she lost it. Rachel rushed forward, wrapping the girl in her arms and trying her best to comfort her.

As much as he didn't agree with what she had done, Kurt couldn't just stand there watching her cry. He crossed the kitchen, hugging his girls, kissing Mercedes atop her head. "We'll fix this," he said. "We'll find a way." Rachel freed the other girl, so that she could drape her arms around Kurt, who rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. She looked up and saw Carole looking on, concerned. She broke off from Kurt and headed for the woman, who held her arms out for the girl. "What do you want to do?" Kurt asked after a moment.

Mercedes took a deep breath. "I think I'm gonna stay. There was nothing else I could have done," she said, stabilizing herself. "He was proposing to me." She shook her head and sat down. "You guys can go back down there; I'll be down in a minute."

Kurt looked on for a moment, and then tugged at Rachel, signaling her to follow him downstairs. She looked as though she was obliging, but as soon as Kurt let go, she turned around and sat down next to Mercedes. "I know things look bad now, but things can change." Rachel looked up at her boyfriend's mother, deciding not to make the statement she was going to, presuming that Mercedes knew instead.

Carole turned around to the counter and poured champagne into two coffee mugs and offered them to the girls. When they looked at her, questioning, she responded, "You both look like you need it." The girls smiled and thanked her. Then she asked the question Mercedes had been dreading; "What happened out there?"

With a sigh, Mercedes took a sip and let it sink in. "It's a long story…" she started. As she recalled the events from the beginning up until tonight, both Rachel and Mrs. Hudson listened intently until she reached the end. "So, now, he's gone and I'm pretty sure he's not coming back." As she ran her finger around the rim of her coffee cup, she added, "I really screwed up, didn't I?" not expecting an answer.

"Yeah, you did," Carole nodded, not wanting to sugarcoat anything, "but, it's his fault for reacting the way he did. If you were telling us the exact truth, your relationship with this boy was nothing more than either of your relationships with Kurt. It's different because Kurt doesn't see you girls that way, but you guys are pretty much the same way with most of the boys in glee, right?"

Both of the girls nodded. Mercedes could think of plenty of times that Puck had grabbed her by the hand, or Mike had kissed her on the cheek or she'd flirted playfully with Artie. It didn't mean anything. "I guess it was different because of the way that it happened."

"That's probably right, but I'm sure if you explained it to him the way you explained it to us in a couple of days, he'll come around." She offered a comforting smile, and then got up from the table. "And if he doesn't, that's his loss," she said, hugging the girl. She began to leave the room, but turned around to add one final remark. "You just have to know that as much as you've been hurting, he just got all of that in one blow. It's going to take some time to fix, but it's not unheard of. Look at this one," she said nodding to Rachel, who feigned offense, but then smiled.

The girls called goodnight after her and she waved over her shoulder in acknowledgement. Rachel looked over at Mercedes. "You ready to head down there?"

Mercedes smiled. "I guess so."

The pair stood up and hugged. "You know it's going to be okay, right?"

"I know," Mercedes nodded as they descended the stairs into the basement where the group had returned to their dance party. She smiled to herself. At least she wasn't in it alone.


End file.
